An educator and naturalist, Jim Gain is also a superb photographer. We’re proud to publish his series, “Learn 100 Common Valley Birds.” Here is post #18. Be sure to visit Reflections of the Natural World for more of Jim’s fine work. ed. Ash-throated Flycatcher: Species # 28 The Ash-throated Flycatcher (Myiarchus cinerascens) is a medium-sized bird species found throughout the Western United States, including in the Central Valley of California. […]
Jim Gain nature photography
Learn 100 Valley Birds #12: Wintering “White” Geese – Part II
In Part I of the Our Wintering “White” Geese post, we learned about the larger “white Goose with the Grinning Patch”, the Snow Goose. In this post, the star of the show is the smaller Ross’s Goose. Introduction The Ross’s Goose is a Fairly Common Winter Visitor found almost exclusively in winter in the Central Valley. Similar to the Snow Goose, its preferred habitats are fresh emergent wetlands, adjacent waters […]
Learn 100 Valley Birds #11: White Geese Part I, Snow Goose
“Your first indication of their presence is the distant sound of baying hounds. As you look up, you see the sky flecked with tiny white moving shapes, which appear like snowflakes drifting lazily across the azure sky.” naturalist J. B. Grinnell There are two species of “white” geese in the Valley. The Snow Goose — Anser caerulescens — is the larger and more widespread species compared to its cousin, the […]
Learn 100 Valley Birds #10: Wood Duck
The Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) is arguably the most spectacularly beautiful duck in the Central Valley. It is a Fairly Common Year-round Resident throughout the wetlands and waterways of the valley. Similar to other dabbling ducks, the Wood Duck is an omnivore with a broad diet of seeds, fruits, and aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates. Appearance Wood Ducks have a unique shape among ducks — a boxy, crested head, a thin […]
Learn 100 Valley Birds #6: Loggerhead Shrike
The Loggerhead Shrike is a Fairly Common Resident in the San Joaquin Valley and can be found in grasslands, freshwater wetlands and chaparral habitats. There are two species of shrike regularly found in the US, the Loggerhead Shrike and the Northern Shrike. However, the Northern Shrike is a very rare vagrant to the Central Valley. Status Loggerhead Shrikes are currently considered a California Bird Species of Special Concern (breeding), priority […]
Learn 100 Valley Birds #5: Dark-eyed Junco
Among the many joys of birding, the arrival of winter visitors is an ongoing thrill. With September looming, birders and nature lovers will be looking forward to the arrivals of White- and Golden-crowned Sparrows as well as the distinctive “little birds with the hoods.” Here, Jim Gain gives us his usual spectacular images and the proper name of our distinctive winter visitors, those, “little birds with the hoods.” They should […]
Learn 100 Valley Birds #3: Common Valley Owls
Today’s post is another three-fer offering that includes the three owls that most Valley Visitors are likely to encounter in an urban setting: Great Horned Owl, Barn Owl and Western Screech-Owl. There are other possible owl species that one might come across in the grasslands and foothill woodlands away from town. One of those, the Burrowing Owl, will have its own future post and the others are considerably less likely […]
Learn 100 Valley Birds #2: Anna’s Hummingbird
Jim Gain calls Anna’s Hummingbird, the second in the “Learn 100 Birds” series, a “three-fer” because it illustrates one of the basic tactics for building a local birding list. This tactic involves knowing a birding fundamental: Learn the most common bird and you will often also learn one or two other similar but less common birds. The Anna’s Hummingbird offers a classic case. In the San Joaquin Valley, if you […]